Edward Thomas Copson
Encyclopedia
Edward Thomas Copson FRSE (21 August 1901 - 16 February 1980) was a British
mathematician
who contributed widely to the development of mathematics at the University of St. Andrews, serving as Regius Professor of Mathematics
amongst other positions.
, and was a pupil at King Henry VIII School, Coventry. He studied at St. John's College
, Oxford
. He was appointed by E. T. Whittaker
to the position of lecturer at the University of Edinburgh
, where he was later awarded a D.Sc.
He married Beatrice, the elder daughter of E. T. Whittaker
, and moved to a position at the University of St. Andrews, where he served as Regius Professor of Mathematics
, and later Dean of Science, then Master of the United College. He was instrumental in the construction of the new Mathematics Institute building at the University.
He was awarded the Keith Medal
by the Royal Society of Edinburgh
in 1942 for his research in Mathematics.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
who contributed widely to the development of mathematics at the University of St. Andrews, serving as Regius Professor of Mathematics
Regius Professor of Mathematics
The Regius Professorship of Mathematics, founded by Charles II, is a professorship at the University of St Andrews. There is currently no Regius Professor of Mathematics...
amongst other positions.
Life
He was born in CoventryCoventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, and was a pupil at King Henry VIII School, Coventry. He studied at St. John's College
St John's College, Oxford
__FORCETOC__St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, one of the larger Oxford colleges with approximately 390 undergraduates, 200 postgraduates and over 100 academic staff. It was founded by Sir Thomas White, a merchant, in 1555, whose heart is buried in the chapel of...
, Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. He was appointed by E. T. Whittaker
E. T. Whittaker
Edmund Taylor Whittaker FRS FRSE was an English mathematician who contributed widely to applied mathematics, mathematical physics and the theory of special functions. He had a particular interest in numerical analysis, but also worked on celestial mechanics and the history of physics...
to the position of lecturer at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, where he was later awarded a D.Sc.
He married Beatrice, the elder daughter of E. T. Whittaker
E. T. Whittaker
Edmund Taylor Whittaker FRS FRSE was an English mathematician who contributed widely to applied mathematics, mathematical physics and the theory of special functions. He had a particular interest in numerical analysis, but also worked on celestial mechanics and the history of physics...
, and moved to a position at the University of St. Andrews, where he served as Regius Professor of Mathematics
Regius Professor of Mathematics
The Regius Professorship of Mathematics, founded by Charles II, is a professorship at the University of St Andrews. There is currently no Regius Professor of Mathematics...
, and later Dean of Science, then Master of the United College. He was instrumental in the construction of the new Mathematics Institute building at the University.
He was awarded the Keith Medal
Keith Medal
The Keith Medal is a prize awarded by the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy, for a scientific paper published in the society's scientific journals, preference being given to a paper containing a discovery, either in mathematics or earth sciences.The medal was inaugurated in...
by the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
in 1942 for his research in Mathematics.
Work
Copson’s primary focus was in classical analysis, asymptotic expansions, differential and integral equations, and applications to problems in theoretical physics. His first book "The theory of functions of a complex variable" was published in 1935.Publications
- Copson, E. T., Asymptotic Expansions
- Copson, E. T., Metric Spaces
- Copson, E. T., Partial Differential Equations
- Copson, E. T., The Theory of Functions of A Complex Variable